hey i was wondering if i could get any advice on leather armour this is going to be for my first cosplay (pic related) but seen as you dont ever see the full upper armour i have to design it myself(is that taboo for cosplayers?) anyway that i dont really have an issue with my main problem is knowing were and how to start once i have a solid design down,
any help would be greatly apreciated
heres the character i want to cosplay (not very elaborate i know but i really like the character
and it will be my firsthttp://kigcos.com/social/download/fi...1109&mode=view

I'm having issues with your link too, so another link would be appreciated!

Leather is a tough material to work with, just for reference. Personally, I'd highly recommend craft foam for "leatherwork", as it's super cheap, lightweight, and with proper texturing and weathering will look just as good!

Leather is just like any other crafting material. You need to practice with it before you will fully understand its abilitys. Their are hundreds of how to videos on youtube. You will create a pattern very similar to a sewing pattern but you have may diffrent options on how it will be assembeled. From sewing the peices together, snaps, buckels, or even glue.

If you haven't yet check for a Tandy Leather Factory near by you. They are a weatlh of information and normaly super friendly to new and old hands alike. They would be a great source of information .

Leather can be a bit of a restirictive product to get into becouse of the high cost, but the results can not be mached by any other means. foams and thermoform plastics are nice but a well tooled leather will always stand out.

That being said it does have some serious down sides... mostly its hot and heavy to wear for extended periods.

Totally agree with essex1984. Personally, I found leather to be an absolute joy to work with, and much easier than I expected (based on the prices leathercrafters generally charge for simple pouches and such). Handsewing leather takes a little while to get used to, but once you get it down, it's one of those activities you can do mindlessly while watching TV.

The starting costs is the major issue. It's not so much the tools. You can live without a lot of them. The major issue is with how leather is sold. It isn't like cloth; you can't just buy a couple square feet as needed. Tooling leather (the stuff that is used for armor) is sold by sides (in other words, half a friggin' cow), and upholstery leather is only sold whole (which annoys me to no end).

high it seems some of my posts got clogged up due to me having no knowledge of the fact that they need to be approved first

ive decided ill probably go with some sort of foam to make it, this is my first cosplay after all and i have literally no skills related to it beyond a general knowledge of sewing so i dont dont want to go paying large amounts for materials, thanks for the ideas though

I like to get used leather garments and jackets from resell it shops or ebay. It can be a trick to disassemble them but is so much less expensive than buying it new. My regular old Kenmore sewing machine did not like sewing even thin garment leather but I borrowed a friends ancient Singer with a roller foot and that did the trick.